Welcome...

Medieval graffiti in St Peter Mancroft church, Norwich.
Please click on image in order to enlarge

We're starting a new club - the Norwich Community History Club - where people can meet together in a friendly, inclusive and informal setting (Marzanos cafe in the Forum) to learn more about history (focusing primarily - but not exclusively! - on local history). This club is open to all, but I will be actively recruiting those who experience barriers, being deemed to be 'hard to reach'/hardly reached (it's always the organisations that fail to do the 'reaching' in my experience!).  

The sort of thing we might end up doing as the group evolves, includes:

• Listening to/learning from guest speakers
• Sharing books/broadcasts we have enjoyed
• Skill sharing - raising and answering questions; sharing 'in-house' knowledge
• Visiting historic buildings in the city (and beyond)
• Initiating our own history projects
• Developing an Info Bank of available historic resources
• Developing a blog (this one!)
• Socialising/meeting new people brought together through common interests
• Encouraging and supporting each other on our learning journey

For our first meeting (Tuesday 20th November, 10:30-12:00 - members/guests will meet every Tuesday at that time/place thereafter) I have invited my friend, and former museum colleague, Dave Tong, to come and talk to us about a subject he has genuine expertise in - namely, folk who lived outside the 'rules' around Norwich market in the Tudor/Stuart period (1500-1600s). He has entitled this one, 'Playing Games and Being Shamed on Norwich Market Place.' Dave is a lively and entertaining speaker (as you would expect from someone who is, both, an historian and a professional story teller). Come along, then, and get a 'flavour' of life on the margins in Tudor/Stuart Norwich. 

Finally, if you have a particular area of expertise that you would be happy to donate to our club, or access to resources that we would benefit from, that would be VERY welcome indeed. If this voluntary organisation is to develop in the way I hope it will, your contributions will be a key part of our growth and I look forward to your support. 

For further information, please contact Colin Howey on:
colin.howey@norfolk.gov.uk